181 THE JACOBIN. 



by stretching tlieir necks, to see over those chain feathers 

 which obscure their vision. Some of the longest-chained birds 

 are, consequently, all the better for being clipped about the 

 eyes during the breeding season, like the best Trumpeters. The 

 real carriage of the Jacobin is seen when the cock is driving 

 the hen to nest. The head is carried well up, and the chain 

 will then lap over in front, if it ever will. 



Head. — The head should be broad across the crown, and well 

 rounded off over the eyes. There should be a little tuft of 

 feathers projecting over each eye, like two small horns ; but 

 this is only seen in broad-skulled, short-faced birds, and not 

 always m them. These tufts are quite a peculiarity of the breed. 

 The forehead must be broad and prominent, well rounded in 

 profile, from the crown to the beak wattle, and not showing a 

 stop, as in the Short-faced Tumbler. A narrow skull, and run- 

 out, or mousey head, is a great fault. 



Beak. — This should be short, and rather thick at its base, 

 but coming to a fine point, with a downward inclination. The 

 true beak is differently formed from that of the Owl tribe, 

 not being so blunt and thick at the tip; the beak wattle 

 should be fine and smooth. Any gullet is faulty, though it 

 is sometimes found in good birds. 



Eye. — The irides should be of a pearly white colour, but 

 often have a reddish tinge round their outer circles. Clouded 

 or dusky pearl, yellow, red, broken, and entirely dark, or bull 

 eyes, are all found in Jacobins, and are all to be avoided. 

 Bad as a bull eye looks, it can often be bred out easier than 

 a yellow one, if it has not existed to any great extent in the 

 strain. The eye wattle ought to be broad, and of a bright 

 red colour. I have seen the wattle almost, if not quite, a 

 quarter of an inch in breadth. In richness of colour it 

 follows the quality of colour in the feather. Bad blacks, reds, 

 or yellows, do not have a deep red eye wattle, though a straw- 

 berry bred from a rich black and red may ; and such a wattle 

 on a strawberry would indicate that it was of a good coloured 



